Property Report Version 2.1

Home has no visible mould

No dampness or visible mould is a good sign that this home is warm and dry. It’s possible there may be mould in other less accessible places in the home or at certain times of the year, so keep an eye out. You can clean mould using a solution of 70mls of white vinegar and 30mls of water sprayed on affected areas. Leave for up to an hour and then wipe it off with a clean damp cloth. Be particularly wary of mould appearing in wardrobes and other enclosed spaces, and continue airing to ensure you’re breathing nice, fresh air.

The main living space is heated with a heat pump

Heat pumps are generally regarded as the most efficient way to heat the living areas of your home and will meet the HomeFit and Healthy Homes Standards as long as they’re adequately sized to heat the space. Typically, heat pumps use between half to a third of the energy of a standard electric heater to provide the same amount of heat, making them very cost-effective to run. Check you’re using it effectively by having a read of this information about using heat pumps wisely on the Gen Less heat pumps website or on The Eco Design Advisor website.

The main living space needs a better heat source

Your living room does not have a heat source that can adequately heat the room to 18ᵒC, which is the minimum temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation. This does not comply with HomeFit or the Healthy Homes Standards and is unhealthy for the occupants. To meet the HomeFit Standard, you’ll need to explore installing a cost-effective heating option that is sized to meet the heating demand of the room. An adequately sized heat pump, clean-burning wood fire or pellet burner would meet the HomeFit PLUS standard and will comply with the Healthy Homes Standards for rental properties.

Largest living space Heat demand: 5.70 kW

Heat source Heat output: 4.80 kW

If the difference between the heating demand and the heat output of your main heat source is less than 1.5kW and your heat source was installed before 1 July 2019, you can top up to the required heating demand with an electric resistance heater that is fixed in place. If your heater was installed after 1 July 2019, it needs to be upgraded to have a heat output equal to or greater than the heating demand.

One or more showers have flow rates more than 9 litres/minute

Rooms affected: Bathroom 1

Your shower flow rates:

Bathroom 1: 15 litres/minute

You’ll need to swap your shower heads for ones with more efficient flow rates of 9 litres per minute (or less) or install inexpensive shower flow restrictors to meet the HomeFit standard. Shower flow rates of 9 litres a minute will save $240 or more a year for a household of three compared to flow rate of 12 litres/minute. Even reducing the flow rate by 3 litres per minute could save a household of three around $240 per year.

The hot water system meets the HomeFit standard for energy efficiency

Having a well-insulated, efficient hot water system has a big impact on energy savings. If you want to make this system even more efficient, try lagging at least the first metre of the hot water pipe (look for this special pipe insulation at your local hardware store).

Home has good protection from ground moisture

Your home is well protected from rising damp because you either have a concrete slab floor, a groundsheet (sometimes called a ground moisture barrier) covering the soil under your home, or there is good ventilation in your subfloor and no sign of ponding or leaks.

Good protection from rising damp helps keep the air in your home dry and makes it easier to heat. If there’s a groundsheet, make sure it covers all the soil under the home, is not ripped, and is taped around piles. You should check in your underfloor space regularly to make sure that there are no leaking pipes and water isn’t getting underneath the home and ponding on top of the groundsheet. If you have a slab floor, check from time to time to see if there is water coming up through it.

The home is not fitted with kitchen extract ducted to the outside

You’ll need to install a kitchen extract that is ducted to the outside to meet the HomeFit and Healthy Homes Standards. Kitchen rangehoods and extractor fans exhaust moisture from cooking at the source which means you shouldn’t need to open windows while cooking and the cooking moisture won’t migrate through your home. Kitchen rangehoods also capture grease and other cooking pollutants to keep the air in your home safe and healthy. A properly sized kitchen rangehood with flow rate of at least 50 litres/sec should be located between 650mm and 900mm above the hob or stove, and ducted to the outside is required to meet the HomeFit PLUS standard.

The home is fitted with a bathroom extract that meets HomeFit and Healthy Homes Standards

Remember to use your bathroom extract fan every time you shower or set it on a timer to turn on automatically when you turn on the lights. This doesn’t use much energy compared to the cost of heating a damp home. If you need to change your fan in future, pick one with a flow rate of at least 25 litre/second to meet HomeFit PLUS.

Home has ventilation in living areas that meets the HomeFit and Healthy Homes Standards

Your home has either openable windows or mechanical ventilation in all living areas. Opening these for half an hour once or twice a day will let in fresh air and remove the damp air that makes the home harder to heat. Good ventilation makes a big difference to the health of the homes occupants and reduces the build-up of harmful gases from day to day activities.

Home has a slab or suspended floor with adequate insulation for HomeFit

This will help prevent heat loss from your home but could be improved. If you have a suspended floor and can upgrade, we recommend installing insulation with a minimum value of R1.8 to meet or exceed the requirements for the HomeFit PLUS optional standard. If you have a slab and would like to find out how to improve its insulation, contact a specialist slab edge insulation supplier.

Ceiling insulation meets RTA but needs an upgrade to meet HomeFit and HHS

It’s a good idea to upgrade your ceiling insulation, especially if your home is a rental property, to meet the HHS and HomeFit standard. You’ll need insulation with a minimum R-value of 2.9 to meet these standards, but we recommend a minimum R3.6 in the North Island (excluding Central Plateau) and R4 in the South Island and Central Plateau to meet the HomeFit PLUS standard.

The government’s Warmer Kiwi Homes programme provides grants for ceiling and underfloor insulation to eligible homeowners (owner-occupiers) on low incomes. For more information, see  Funding for Insulation.

Windows in living spaces and bedrooms need better protection from heat loss

Rooms affected: Bedroom 2 rear of unit

You’ll need to install good curtains or blinds, or double glazing in all living spaces and bedrooms to meet the HomeFit standard. Without these measures your home is leaking significant amounts of heat through the windows making it harder to keep warm. In a typical, otherwise reasonably well-insulated home, heat loss from windows can account for 40% or more of the total heat lost.

To meet the HomeFit standard, the curtains you choose must be either floor length (touching the floor), have pelmets above them, or have close-fitting tracks with only a minimal air gap between the top of the curtain and the wall. Sill length curtains are not as effective. They also need to be double layered and either fitted tightly against the wall or window frame, or be wider than the window frame.

If you prefer blinds, they must have a snug fit with the window frame that creates a good seal to trap the air in the gap between them and the window. If there are any gaps around the blinds, they will not be very effective. Pleated blinds (sometimes described as ‘honeycomb’ or ‘cellular’ blinds) can be even more effective, but only if they can be installed without any gaps around them. Roller blinds and wooden or venetian blinds are unlikely to meet the HomeFit standard.

It’s a good idea to open curtains and blinds during the day, even if you’re not using the room, and close them just before it gets dark. This allows your home to gain heat from the sun during the day, and better retain it overnight. In summer, close curtains and blinds on the side facing the sun and open windows to help keep your home cool.

If you’re considering a major refurbishment, consider replacing window units with double glazing (IGUs), or retrofitting double glazed panes of glass. For more information on choosing double glazing refer to the Gen Less website here.

Home has gaps that are causing draughts

Rooms affected: Main Living Area, Kitchen 1, Corridors and Other General Internal Spaces, Bathroom 1, Bedroom 1 front of unit, Bedroom 2 rear of unit

Your assessor has identified holes in the building fabric that need to be blocked to improve the comfort of your home and reduce your power bills by preventing warm air from escaping.

Start by tightening any loose hinges and catches or latches. Windows and doors that don't fit in their frames snugly need to be repaired by a qualified builder. Check your hardware store for the right types of weather stripping to seal gaps around doors and windows. Door or window trims can be sealed using a clear or paintable sealant and draught excluders can be used for gaps under doors (use brush strip types for internal doors, and spring-loaded automatic seals for external doors). It’s a good idea to replace damaged rubber seals around aluminium joinery.

Extractor fans that aren’t in use, open fireplaces, older recessed downlights, unintended gaps around electrical or plumbing fittings, and draughty cat flaps should all be sealed up. Sources of draughts will need to be permanently fixed to meet the HomeFit and Healthy Homes standards – a draught sausage won’t be enough!

Home has smoke alarms that are compliant with RTA and HomeFit

Your home has smoke alarms that meet the requirements for HomeFit and the Residential Tenancies (Smoke Alarms and Insulation) Regulations 2016 (RTA).

If you are installing new smoke alarms or if you are replacing an existing smoke alarm, you must install photoelectric smoke alarms that are hard wired or have long life batteries with a life span of at least 8 years. 

Some lights are not LEDs or CFLs

You need to improve the energy efficiency of the lights in your home. It’s easy to swap the poor performers for LEDs. Existing CFLs meet the HomeFit standard but LEDs are more efficient, long lasting, and cost effective. LEDs come with a range of colour temperatures which allows you to recreate the familiar effect of incandescent lighting without the energy waste or cost. Every supermarket and hardware store will generally stock LED bulbs at a reasonable price. If any of your lights are recessed into your ceiling, ensure they are enclosed and able to be covered or closely fitted with insulation (IC or CA rated downlights). If they are not IC or CA rated, they will not meet the insulation criteria of HomeFit.

Home has no permanent means of drying clothes

It’s really important to be able to dry clothes without introducing moisture into the home. To gain points towards the HomeFit or HomeFit PLUS standard, you’ll need a clothes dryer that vents outside, ducting to the outside for a future clothes dryer or covered outdoor washing line. Without one of these options, occupants are likely to dry clothes inside on racks. Indoor clothes drying is a major source of moisture in New Zealand homes and can contribute to the formation of mould.

All the toilets in your home are dual flush

Your home has dual flush toilets, which are recognised in HomeFit and HomeFit PLUS as a cost-effective means of reducing mains water usage.

Home has insufficient insulation in the walls

It’s a good idea to consider installing or upgrading the insulation in your walls if you’re planning a renovation. Wall insulation is not a requirement for HomeFit but can significantly reduce the heat loss of a home. A home with 80% or more of exterior walls fitted with insulation will meet or exceed the requirements for HomeFit PLUS. You can find guidance for retrofitting wall insulation on Genless wall insulation.

Hot water temperature at the tap is safe

The temperature of your hot water has been measured at less than 55°C which meets the HomeFit and HomeFit PLUS optional standards for safe hot water as it reduces the scalding risk.

Home needs better protection from external moisture

You need to fix any issues your assessor has identified with your gutters, downpipes or drains to meet the HomeFit and Healthy Homes Standards for drainage. At the moment storm water coming from the roof and along the ground is not draining away from the house properly. We recommend you contact one of these professionals:

• A member of New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors (NZIBS)
• A member of Building Officials Institute of New Zealand (BOINZ)
• A licensed building practitioner (plumber/drainlayer or builder)

External moisture entering the home can make it damp and hard to heat, which is unhealthy for the occupants and causes mould issues. It may also affect the durability of the building materials which can make the home unsafe.

No rainwater tank or rainwater tank does not meet the HomeFit PLUS optional standard

Rainwater harvesting is recognised in HomeFit PLUS as a cost-effective means of reducing mains water usage and gaining resilience in times of drought or civil defence emergency. Rainwater tanks of 1000 litres or higher capacity can be paid back within 10-15 years (in areas with water rates). For those who pay for their water in general rates, the benefit in terms of reduction in Council water supply costs is similar.